A Turn of the Tides
by Karebear119
Summary: The boys finish a run-of-the-mill job and head to the local bar to wind down. Dean becomes fascinated with a beautiful woman who turns out to be another hunter, from a long family line of hunters. And she knows a secret that could help turn the tides of their war against demons. But it won't be easy...because when is it ever that easy? Some HurtDean. Rated M to be safe.
1. Chapter 1-Introductions

A/N: Hi, All! This is my first attempt at a Supernatural FanFic….or any Fanfic in general. I have always had alternate stories or storylines floating through my head for this fantastic series and it ate away at me for the longest time that there was no way I could really get these stories out there until I found this site. I was ecstatic that I could finally put this out there and see what other people's thoughts were on it. If it was good and interesting or if I am just completely out of my mind….lol. So here you go and I hope you all enjoy it! Please read and review!

Disclaimer: The boys are not mine but I wish for all the world that Dean was!

Some warning for language….but I think that's all

**A Turn of the Tides**

Chapter 1-Introductions

Dean pulled the Impala into the space in front of the door to their motel room just as the last sliver of sun was dipping below the horizon. As he cut the rumbling engine he sagged back into his seat feeling the bruises and aches this last hunt had left on his tired body.

_He did not much appreciate it when poltergeists started flinging furniture about the place and this house seemed to have an over abundance of ammo for the lunatic spirit. He was able to dodge the majority of the smaller pieces that comprised the living room and dinette set until a heavy flowered loveseat pinned him up against the wall. The poltergeist then amused itself by flinging a few of the larger pieces of the china set at Dean and he took a plate or two to the head. The poltergeist had just accessed a set of silver serving knives from the neighboring dining room and was about to use him as target practice in what felt like a twisted carnival act when Sammy had finally finished the cleansing ritual in his section of the house. He could tell because everything flying around the room suddenly just dropped and had finally lain still. He shoved the loveseat away from him and sank against the wall to the floor to catch his breath. He had felt a slight trickle of blood work its way down the side of his face from where one of the plates had smashed against his head. Otherwise no major damage aside from some bruised ribs and the usual aches and pains that followed a hunt like this. _

Dean climbed slowly from the car and pulled the motel key from his jacket pocket. They had the room on the end farthest from the office. Dean opened the door and threw the duffle of weapons on the chair just inside the door. Sam followed him into the room and then flopped on his stomach on his bed with his eyes closed. Dean lay on his own bed, settling onto his back and just let himself sink into the mattress for a few minutes. Then he rolled his head to his right to look over at Sam. He looked just as tired as Dean felt and had taken a couple of his own beatings from random pieces of furniture.

"Hey Sam….Sammy!"

"Yeah?" came the tired reply

"You still with me over there, buddy?"

"Yup"

"What do you say we get cleaned up and go to the bar? I know I could sure use a drink or two…..or six." joked Dean even though he was more than half serious.

Sam opened his eyes and with a small smile, chuckled at his brother. It seemed Dean could always use a drink.

"Yeah, I think I'm with you on that one. You can have the first shower though. I'm going to grab a quick nap before we go." said Sam stifling a yawn and settling farther down into the bed.

Dean gathered up some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom without argument and closed the door behind him. He stripped off his dirty and sweaty clothes, letting them fall to the floor as he climbed into the steaming shower. He stood under the strong spray for a good while, resting his forehead against the still-cool tiles of the shower. He let the hot water wash over him and relax his stiff and sore muscles. He was looking forward to the relaxed, numbing feeling that strong alcohol afforded him and in the back of his mind was hoping that the bar was stocked with at least a few good-looking locals for his other favorite past-time.

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Dean pushed through the door into the bar expecting a somewhat decent crowd of people and maybe a few pickings for women, only to be disappointed by a nearly empty bar. Aside from the couple of regular bar-flies, the place was literally empty.

Sam could see his brother's disappointment in the droop of Dean's shoulders when they pushed into the empty bar room. He knew that his brother had been hoping to get laid tonight and it usually played a good part in getting him to relax after a hunt.

"Well, at least there's a pool table. Hey Sammy, loser does laundry?"

"Sure, I'll grab us a round first". Sam strolled off to the bar knowing that his brother could always kick his ass in pool and anyway, Dean wasn't exactly the type to do a lot of laundry.

After a few rounds of pool during which Dean slaughtered Sam in every game they switched to darts at which Sam stood a slightly better chance of besting his brother. After a few games, most of which Sam narrowly won, Dean retired to a table in the back of the room facing the door. Dean was a little paranoid that way and would never sit with his back to the door or in a position where someone could get the drop on him from behind.

Sam could tell that his brother was disappointed with the continued emptiness of the bar and was getting bored. He was about to suggest they retire and get a good night's sleep when the squeak of the door hinges interrupted him.

At the squeak of the front door, Dean's head lifted from staring at the bottom of his whiskey glass and his jaw almost dropped as a attractive brunette walked through the door. She had on a black fitted leather jacket and dark boot cut jeans from under which poked some well worn cowboy boots. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders in waves and her body seemed to follow the same wavy curves. Dean's eyes followed her as she walked toward the bar, flashed a brilliant smile his way and then turned to the barman to order a drink. Dean was delighted to see that she ordered whiskey, straight up. She settled herself on one of the tall stools by the corner of the bar and removed her jacket to hang it on the back of the chair. Underneath she was wearing a black tank top that showed off ALL of her curves and the finer features according to Dean.

After she flashed him that smile, Dean raised his eyes to the sky saying a silent thank you to whoever was up there, grinned and winked at Sammy and then sidled over to where she was seated at the bar. He leaned nonchalantly against the grained wood of the bar and gave her the killer Winchester smile which had never failed to get a response from any female he used it on. It had exactly the desired effect as she turned to him and smiled back, a slight flush coloring her cheeks.

"Hi, I'm Dean" he introduced.

"Karen" she answered holding out her hand to give him a slightly lingering handshake.

"Well Karen, at the risk of sounding cliché, what is a beautiful woman like you doing in a rundown place like this in the middle of Nowheresville?"

"Just passing through" came her reply in which Dean detected a slight clip of a southern accent.

"And yourself?"

"Same, just passing through."

Sam watched from the nearby table as he brother engaged in a casual conversation with the alluring woman. Sam had to admit that she was a looker and very few women could resist Dean's looks, especially when he turned on the charm along with them. Sam wondered which story his brother was feeding this one about who he was and what he did for a living. Sam was debating just returning to the motel room since his brother was otherwise occupied and the barflies had packed it in for the night so there weren't even any other people he could potentially scam on a game or two of pool for some extra cash, when the squeak of the front door hinges again interrupted his thoughts.

Five large men entered the bar just then and one cut immediately off to the restroom. The other four quickly scanned the room and all four pairs of eyes landed on where Dean was chatting up the brunette at the bar. Instantly Sam's gut set off warning alarms and he slightly tensed in his chair. The front most one reached into his jacket and Sam just spotted the glint of a pistol.

"DEAN!" came Sam's cry seconds before the gun let off a sharp crack in Dean's direction.


	2. Chapter 2-The Bar Fight

A/N: Bet you are all wondering if this chick has anything to do with the dudes who came in the bar looking for trouble, aren't cha?! Well, she does, but not in the way you think. Little more action in this chapter with a little twist at the end for you. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get at least one chapter out a week if not more. Just depends on how busy I get. I hope you like the story so far. Enjoy!

Chapter 2—The Bar Fight

Dean heard Sam's shout and his eyes instantly flicked to the front of the room and spotted the gun just as it was aimed in his direction. He had just enough time to shove Karen down and behind the bar before the shot rang out. Dean ducked but not quick enough and he felt a sharp burn that shot pain through his shoulder and down his arm as the bullet tore into his left shoulder. Dean quickly rolled and then scrambled behind the heavy wooden table that Sam had quickly flipped on its side to give them some cover.

"You okay?" Sam asked

"Yeah, fine." Dean lied.

Feeling blood trickle down his arm and biting back the pain, Dean pulled his pistol from the waistband of his jeans and looked over to see Sammy doing the same. Dean peeked around the edge to grab a look before any more shots rang out.

The four guys were still standing at the front of the room and Dean spotted their eyes all flicking to black as the first guy took aim in his direction again. Dean quickly ducked behind the safety of the table edge as a bullet ricocheted past.

"Shit Sammy. They're demons. Of course they're demons. Because I can't get one fucking day off, can I?" spat Dean.

"They've kind of got us pinned down here Dean." said Sam reflexively ducking his head lower as one more shot binged off the table.

"Well I haven't seen any other weapons yet and that Head Honcho asshole only has a six-shooter. That's three bullets left. Maybe we can get him to use them all up?" hissed Dean as he aimed a wild shot around the edge of the table hoping to hit one of them and heard a bullet fire back in his direction in retaliation.

"Even if that guy uses up all his bullets, I still have no idea how we're going to get the hell out of here." stated Sam.

Silently, Dean agreed with him but was wasn't willing to give up without a fight.

Dean heard Head Honcho order to the others, "Spread out. Boss said he wanted that one alive."

"_Great, which one of us does he mean? Well they aren't taking me…..or Sammy….no way in hell."_ thought Dean.

Then he remembered Karen and spares a glance over to where he had pushed her behind the bar. She had a slightly surprised and concerned look on her face but he only saw a tiny hint of fear. Then she met his eyes and he saw her gaze harden like steel and a look of fierce determination took over her face.

Dean stared quizzically at this transformation of her features and contemplated how she was remaining so calm. Most girls would be putty at the first sound of gunfire, much less when it's aimed in their general direction. Then he saw her pull up the leg of her jeans and draw a Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol from the top of her boot. It was a thing of beauty and Dean only had seconds to admire the construction of the weapon and get slightly turned on by the woman wielding it before she spun around the corner of the wooden bar and fired two quick shots in succession. The first shot hit the only visibly armed demon and he dropped to the floor but Dean figured he wouldn't be staying down for long. Bullets only slowed them down. Her second shot grazed another demon who hadn't spread out very far and had been standing behind his now-fallen comrade.

After seeing she only wounded him, Karen rushed forward to engage him. Dean watched in shocked amazement as she dodged a swing from the injured and pissed off demon and planted one foot on the seat of another stool and rolled over the demon's back to his other side before landing a solid kick to the demon's face.

"DEAN!"

Dean was snapped out of his fascination at her fighting skills when Sam barked his name. He spun around to see the other two demons had circled around and were looking to pick a fight with the boys.

Tucking his gun back in his jeans, knowing it would do him no good, Sam quickly grabbed the back of a chair and swung it in an upward arc catching one of the demons in the face and knocking him over into a more open area.

The second demon advanced on Dean. Dean pulled back to land a solid slug to the guy's face using the butt of his pistol but this guy was quick. He swung his arm in an arc and deflected Dean's punch and catching it in a lock. Dean let out a gasp of pain as his shoulder was twisted and he reflexively dropped his gun. Then the demon landed a solid head butt and Dean stumbled back a few steps. Dean looked around wildly for something he could use to fend off the demon with and his eyes landed on the pool cues. He grabbed a thick sturdy one and took a swing landing a decent blow to the demon's abdomen and a second to his face.

Sam was having a little more luck with his demon and they were engaged in a fierce boxing match, bobbing and weaving and throwing jabs and punches with Sam landing some pretty good blows. The other guy had a pretty powerful swing and Sam knew if he caught one of those wind-ups in the head, he could be down for the count. Good thing he was fast and a good ducker.

Dean gave another swing with the pool cue but the demon caught a hold of the stick with one hand and landed a solid roundhouse punch to the side of Dean's head that had flashes of white lights bursting behind his eyes as the shockwave shot through his head. Before he knew what was happening, he was laid out flat on his back on the pool table as the demon pushed the pool cue up against his throat cutting off his air.

Dean struggled to push with his arms to lessen the pressure on his windpipe and his injured shoulder screamed in protest. The demon had the leverage and had him effectively pinned him to the table. Dean's eyes flashed around wildly for anything that might help him. He kicked out with his legs trying to find purchase anywhere that would give him the push he needed to move out of the demon's arm reach and free his throat. Dean's eyes glimpsed Karen as she continued to engage her wounded demon and even Dean's panicked mind could register that the girl clearly had skills. The way she ducked and moved and landed blow after blow while the demon seemed to be just trying to keep up with her.

Dean saw Sam's luck run out and the demon he was fighting finally landed a solid blow to Sam's face knocking him back and over the top of another table. With Sam still occupied with his demon and Karen with her's, neither seemed to notice that he was being choked to death right there on the table.

Dean's vision was going black around the edges and the darkness kept seeping in allowing him to view less and less as his body started to shut down from lack of oxygen. Suddenly a shot rang out and then an instant later was followed by a second and the pressure on Dean's throat lessened and he sucked in a lungful of air. Dean's vision began to clear in time for him to see the demon responsible for his torment, seize and jerk a couple of times before dropping to the ground clearly dead. One more shot rang out and Sam's demon dropped in the same fashion.

Dean slid to the floor leaning back against the pool table trying to gulp in lungfuls of air. Once his vision cleared completely Dean looked over to see Karen with that snazzy Colt pistol in her hand as she scanned the room, the demon she had been fighting dead at her feet. He realized in bewilderment that it was her shots that had dropped the demons.

In seconds Sam was next to him pulling him to his feet and they both wandered back to where their original table laid on its side, both with shocked and stunned looks on their faces as they gaped at the woman in front of them.

"You're a hunter?" Sam managed to choke out.

She shushed him immediately, her back to them.

"Who…the hell…..are you?!" Dean coughed out, still trying to catch his breath and pressing his hand to his shoulder underneath his jacket as warm blood flowed from between his fingers and the rivulets that ran down his arm dripped onto the floor.

She cocked her head to one side and then suddenly she spun around, aimed her gun in their direction, and fired.

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A/N: Aaaaand, another cliff-hanger! Told ya there would be more action. Anyone got any guesses as to who she might be? You'll find out in the next chapter along with a little more about that snazzy gun.


	3. Chapter 3-Descendant

A/N: Whoohoo! I'm so excited to finally release this (slightly long) chapter! So finally here is where it all comes together and you finally get some answers! Any feedback is appreciated! Aaaaaaand, GO!

Chapter 3-Descendant

Dean barely had time to react as the barrel of the gun was suddenly facing their direction and was fired. Dean reflexively shut his eyes and waited for the impact but it never came. He spun to look at Sammy in time to see the fifth man who had entered the bar drop to the floor with a bullet in his skull.

"You boys forget how to count?" she asked with a small smile on her lips at their shocked faces and stunned silence.

All Dean could do was stand there with his mouth hanging slightly open but Sam stepped up and again asked the question,

"Who are you?"

"I think that discussion is better saved for a less public location, don't you? Especially a place where there aren't 5 bodies lying on the floor."

"Wait, are they dead?" asked Sam glancing around the room at each of the bodies.

"Shame about the hosts but the demons are dead, yes." She replied shortly.

"How do you have a gun that kills demons?" Dean asked. "Last time I checked there was only the one. And it didn't look anything as nice as that."

"I promise I will answer all your questions later but now I think we better get the hell out of here. And you need to get that shoulder taken care of."

Sam turned to Dean with a confused look on his face and then saw Dean holding pressure on his shoulder and the blood dripping onto the floor. His confusion quickly turned to indignation and concern.

"Dammit, Dean! Why didn't you tell me you were shot?!" Said Sam angrily as he tried to pull back his brother's jacket to examine the source of all the blood but Dean pushed him away.

"Because at the time the odds were a little stacked against us and it didn't matter that I was bleeding unless we found a way out of this place!" Dean snapped back at him a little annoyed that he was being chastised after being shot.

"My hotel isn't far." noted Karen. "We can fix him up there. I'm staying at the Forest Inn."

"Yeah?" Sam laughed. "That's where we're staying too."

"Yes, haha, it's such a coincidence considering it's the only damn motel in town! Now can we get out of here before I bleed to death." grumbled Dean sarcastically, starting to feel a little light-headed now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Sam got Dean settled into the passenger seat of the Impala and then grabbed the first aid kit from the trunk. He handed Dean some pressure dressings to stem the flow until they could really check him out back at the hotel.

Dean leaned back into the seat attempting to keep the pressure on his shoulder. He rested his head back as Sam climbed into the driver's seat and fired up the car. He grit his teeth against the pressure he had to maintain on his wound while at the same time wondering what kind of answers they could hope to get from this mysterious woman.

Back inside the bar, as soon as soon as the Winchesters and Karen had walked out of the door, the bartender stepped out of the swinging door leading to the back room. His eyes swept the room taking in the five dead bodies on the floor. He looked to the door once more, his eyes flashing to black as he heard the vehicles leave the parking lot and then he vanished.

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Dean was feeling very woozy by the time Sam pulled up to their motel. And as Sam helped him from the car, Karen pulled up into the space next to theirs. Dean noted that she drove a classic Mustang and was really starting to think that he could like this girl, when Sam finally got the door unlocked and pulled him inside the room. Karen followed them into their room, shutting the door behind them.

"I've got a kit in my room a few doors down if you need anything."

"Nah, we're okay. I keep our kit pretty well stocked. This isn't the first time Dean's been shot." joked Sam settling Dean into one of the kitchen chairs.

"You're hilarious, Sammy." Dean grabbed the bottle of whiskey off the kitchen table and took a few swigs before allowing Sam to examine him.

Sam helped Dean ease off his jacket and caught his breath when he saw how blood-soaked Dean's shirts were. The outer shirt was a little tougher to get off as it was sticky with blood. Sam took out his knife and cut away the once-white t-shirt in order to get a good look at his brother's shoulder. The bullet hadn't passed all the way through. Which meant it was still lodged in Dean's shoulder…..and it was going to have to come out.

Dean watched his brother pull the tweezers out of the kit and Dean took another couple of swigs from the bottle in his hand, knowing that this next part was going to hurt like hell.

Sam doused the tweezers with alcohol before getting a good grip on Dean's shoulder.

"Are you ready?"

"Just do it already, Sam."

Sam plunged the tips of the tweezers deep into the bullet wound and felt his brother go rigid. But he kept pushing farther until he felt them scrap against the metal of the bullet. Dean pounded the fist of his other hand on the table and let out a deep groan as Sam had to maneuver the tweezers to get a good grip on the bullet. Finally, feeling the tweezers grasp the ridges of the bullet, he expertly eased the bullet from his brother's shoulder as a small cry escaped Dean. As soon as the tweezers were clear of the wound, Dean slouched into his chair, panting heavily from the pain. Sam applied some more gauze to slow the blood flow while fishing for the needle and thread in the kit. But Karen was already there with the needle treaded and ready to go. Sam watched as Dean chugged another couple of swigs straight from the bottle and noticed that his brother's eyes had started to glaze over just slightly.

Once Sam was satisfied that the bleeding had slowed enough he started sewing.

Just then Dean piped up, "So, in way of distraction. Weren't you going to tell us just who the heck you are?"

"I'm pretty sure I just saved your lives back there, so you first." She replied crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I'm still Dean and this is my brother Sam…"

"Winchester" they both answered at the same time. Dean flicked an annoyed look in his brother's direction as his brother tied off his first stitch.

"So you guys are the Winchesters?!" Karen stated with an impressed look on her face.

"Your turn." Said Dean, only a little surprised that she recognized the name.

Karen grabbed the whiskey bottle from Dean and poured herself a glass before answering,

"My name is Karen Colt."

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"Colt…as in Samuel Colt?" asked Sam, shocked as all get out.

"Yes, he was my many, many greats grandfather."

"I didn't even know that Samuel Colt had any kids." questioned Sam.

"It wasn't a well-known fact. He had too many enemies." Sighed Karen. "My entire family has been hunters for as far back as I can remember. Generations. My family usually ended up marrying other hunters, having kids…always keeping the bloodline going. I have two older brothers; Hayden is the oldest and then Tucker and then me. But me, my brothers and my mom and dad, we all hunt. Sometimes together and sometimes me and my brothers go off on our own job. But we always end up back together. We have a home base in Texas. I've got a couple aunts and uncles and cousins as well but we don't see each other much."

"That's a lot of family. And you're all hunters?" clarified Sam.

"Yes, all of us." answered Karen.

Sam finished off the last stitch in Dean's bullet wound and then started to clean the remaining blood from his brother's shoulder.

"Okay, so where did you get that gun?" continued Sam while applying Neosporin to the stitches and covering it with a pad of gauze before taping it down.

"And where can I get one?" asked Dean speaking up for the first time since Karen started telling her story.

Karen chuckled a little. "You can't….at least not yet. It's a bit of a long story but I can tell you that I'm pretty sure those demons were after me…because of this gun." She pulled the gun out again and laid it on the table for the boys to see.

"This used to be my grandfather's gun. He loved this thing. He's the one who did all the engraving and detail on it. He was an amazing gunsmith, my grandpa."

"So he made the gun?" asked Sam still a little confused.

"He made the gun itself, but not to kill demons."

"Okay, I'm really lost now." Said Dean sagging against the back of the chair, the whiskey finally kicking in and masking the majority of the pain.

"Sorry. I'll start at the beginning." Stated Karen, refilling her glass before pulling up a chair at the table. "Samuel Colt's secret has been lost for a long, long time. We always knew that he had written in one of his journals about the process in which he created the first demon-killing Colt. But for as far back as any of us can remember, nobody knew where that journal was. About six months ago, my family went up north to clear out an old family property in Wyoming. I was in the barn, messing around with my brothers when Tucker fell through some rotted wooden boards in the floor. Down there we discovered an old, hidden library and the missing journals."

"So hold on! You guys know how Samuel Colt made the original, demon-killing Colt?!" excitement lighting up Sam's face as he spoke.

"Yes."

"So how come we aren't all swimming in demon-killing guns now? I mean, that's a pretty important discovery to keep to yourselves!" Dean stated, raising his voice in indignation.

"Look, the conditions under which the gun has to be made are very specific. We weren't even sure it was going to work!" Karen answered.

"What are the conditions?" asked Sam

"The guns have to be blessed using very specific materials and very powerful spells. And it can only be done when a comet passes across the sky on the night of an eclipse."

"Like three months ago!" noted Sam.

Dean threw Sam a questioning look.

"It was in the newspaper, Dean." Sam answered rolling his eyes at his brother. "Remember back in April, that night that things went all wacadoodle with the werewolf we were hunting? That was the night of the eclipse."

Karen cut in, trying to continue her explanation.

"Halley's Comet is passing by this year and yes, there was an eclipse in April. So we called up my aunt and uncle and they came with my two cousins, Henri and Ariana. We have an old family friend who is a witch, a very old witch. She said that she would be willing to help us with the spells. It takes an awful lot of mojo to make even one gun but with Greta's help we figured that we would be able to make four. So we used four of my grandpa's favorite guns. All Colt .45 semi-automatic pistols, similar to this one. The bullets were made of blessed silver and those can be made anywhere, anytime. It's the guns that are limited. The eclipse came and we started. But I guess the other side found out about what we were doing. I don't know how, maybe they sensed the mojo or something. But just as we finished, they attacked. Demons. At least twenty of them. They were everywhere and we were hugely outnumbered. I don't even know how they broke past the wards, it all happened so fast."

Karen paused to take a couple of breaths as tears started to burn at the back of her eyes. She took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and then continued.

"Next thing I know, my parents were yelling for me and my brothers to take the guns and run. Me, Tucker and my cousins, we all grabbed the guns and headed for the back door while our parents and Hayden tried to hold them off long enough for us to get out. We made it out the back and we ran for one of the pickups. Henri was driving and me and Tucker had just jumped into the bed of the truck when Hayden came sprinting out the back door with demons hot on his tail. I tried to cover him but I didn't have a clear shot and I couldn't risk hitting him. They shot him in the back and he just dropped. I tried to climb out of the truck to get to him but Tucker pulled me back in and was screaming at me that he was already dead and for Henri to drive."

The tears were building in her eyes and the boys could hear the emotion coming through as her voice cracked. They sat in silence as she finished her story.

"As soon as we left the drive, we saw the barn go up in flames, demon fire, with our entire family still inside." At that statement, a single tear slid down her cheek. Dean placed his right hand on her shoulder. She let it remain there for a couple of seconds but then shook it off, sitting up straighter in her chair and wiping her face.

"So how did you end up out here all by yourself? Where are your brother and your cousins?" asked Sam, worried about the answer he might get.

"We drove as far as we could away from there before we had to stop for gas. After that we decided that the best thing for us to do would be to split up because it would be harder for them to track us that way. Before we split, Tucker showed us that he had grabbed the journal along with his gun. Halley's Comet is still around and there is another eclipse in September. It will be cutting it close but the timing holds up and we thought we might be able to pull it off if we can each gather all we need by then."

"Hold on!" said Dean putting up his hand. "Are you saying that you can make more guns?"

"Yes. We each have a copy of the ritual and spells and we made a pact before we split up." Karen had that determined look on her face again. "To create as many guns as we each could and arm as many hunters as possible and kill those bastards."

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A/N: And there you go! A nice long chapter with lots of answers! And this is the reason I chose this title since "A turn of the tides" means "a complete change or reversal of circumstances". But bear with me, it's not going to be an easy road and there's lots of action to come yet! So strap in and hold on to your hats!


	4. Chapter 4-Growing Interests

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took me so long to put up. I was having a tough time with this one.

Also, I realized that I never really established a timeline for when this story is happening. I was having some problems with it since it is an AU sort of story and an alternate timeline to some of the happenings. I suppose I had it follow more along the lines in place of the storyline they went with for Season 4 since Dean has been to hell and they have Ruby's knife and it comes in to play later on. But I really don't know. Maybe as I write more of the story I'll change my mind….lol.

Secondly I wanted to say a big thanks to **deanstheman** for reviewing on each chapter so far! And for helping me out with ideas for the story. If you haven't checked out her stories yet, you definitely should!

I would love to hear from some more of you and get some more reviews on what you guys think….your thoughts on the story line, any ideas that come to mind when you read….anything you'd like to see in upcoming chapters? I've got a few major plot lines that I plan to include in the story but if anything pops out at you don't hesitate to voice it out!

Previously: _"Hold on!" said Dean putting up his hand. "Are you saying that you can make more guns?"_

"_Yes. We each have a copy of the ritual and spells and we made a pact before we split up." Karen had that determined look on her face again. "To create as many guns as we each could and arm as many hunters as possible and kill those bastards."_

Chapter 4-Growing Interests

A huge smile lit up Dean's face and he exchanged a look with Sam. From the look on Sam's face he could tell that he was thinking along the same lines as he was.

"If you are making more guns…then count us in!" said Dean excitedly.

"So you're saying you'll help me?" asked Karen daring to let a little hope into her voice.

"Hell yeah, we'll help you! Especially if you'll let us keep one of the guns if we can pull this off." Answered Dean.

"If you help me gather everything we need and we manage to live long enough to complete the ritual, I'll let you each have one…..especially considering your reputation. I know I could sure use your help." Said Karen relief flooding her voice. Knowing that she was going to have help, and from two of the best hunters of their time according to her, lifted a huge weight off of her shoulders. But then reality brought her back to the problems at hand.

"I think we need to leave this town as soon as possible. Those demons knew that I was here and I wouldn't doubt it in the least that they'll send more. Not to mention the bartender we left back at the bar can make us to the cops once those bodies get reported."

"How did the demons find you anyway? Don't you have a hex bag or anything to help hide you?" asked Sam standing up from the table and beginning to walk around the room packing his and Dean's things.

"Of course I have hex bags." Answered Karen with annoyance in her voice. "They just aren't making much of a difference. Seems like the demons have their spies out everywhere, even in podunk little towns like this one in the middle of Nowhere, Nebraska." She stood up out of her chair and walked towards the door. "I was headed for a safe house we have in Colorado. It's warded and I was hoping to hide out there for a while until I can track down the rest of what I'll need for the ritual."

"Sounds like a good plan. You need to stay out of sight from anyone who might be able to give up your location. At least until September."

"But what about the rest of the supplies? And you know, food and water and the like?" asked Karen with a touch more of that annoyance.

Dean shot her another smile. "That's what we're here for. We'll do the milk runs for the supplies and we'll keep you stocked up on food and necessities for when we're gone."

"It doesn't feel right. Hiding out in some cabin in the woods." Said Karen softly crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall next to the door.

"Well the main thing is keeping you safe. We'll worry less about the demons once we have a few more weapons to annihilate them." Answered Sam with a reassuring smile on his face.

Dean stood up from his chair and turned to Karen.

"Let's go pack up your room and get out of here. You can ride with us."

"But what about my car?!" asked Karen stepping away from the wall.

"You can bet those demons know your car by now too. It's a neon sign pointing right at you. You'll be safer with us and there'll be no car pointing the way to where you're hiding out." said Dean moving his shoulder around and testing its range before motioning out the door.

Dean followed Karen to her room to keep a lookout as she scrambled around the room gathering her few possessions and shoving them quickly into a duffle bag. He knew that Sam would take care of his stuff as well and have it all in the Impala by the time they were done here.

"You guys are the last people I expected to run into way out here but I'm really glad that you're here" said Karen interrupting his thoughts. "I hope you guys know what you guys are getting in to with all of this

"We'll manage. I don't think it will be much different than every other day of our life so far. Nothing we won't be able to handle."

Karen sidled up to him, her duffle bag over her shoulder, as he leaned against the open doorway to her room. "I've heard some of the stories about you boys. Sure hope you live up the hype." She said sweeping her eyes over him from head to toe and back again, giving Dean a meaningful look and walking out the door.

After wiping down the room and tossing Karen's duffle the trunk with their own bags they cleaned her few weapons out of her car and wiped it down as well.

With Sam in the driver's seat, they quickly pulled out of the motel parking lot and lit out of town just as the town's two cop cars drove past, heading in the direction of the bar.

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_Three weeks later….Blue River, CO._

Sam pulled the Impala into the parking lot of the Blue River Inn and then reached over to give Dean a shove. Dean had fallen asleep in the passenger seat before they had even crossed the border between Utah and Colorado. At Sam's shove, Dean scared awake and bolted straight up in his seat.

"mmmph, what?! What is it?! Where are we?!" mumbled Dean looking around trying to gage his surroundings.

"We're back at the motel." Answered Sam with a little chuckle. They had been running ragged for three weeks trying to chase down all the supplies that they would need for the ritual and they were both running on too little sleep.

"Already?"

"Dean, you've been asleep for 5 hours." Sam dragged himself out of the car and into the room with Dean following close behind him.

After sleeping in the car, Dean was wide awake now and ready to go but Sam looked like he was about to fall over.

"Dude, I think you better get some sleep. I'll run the stuff up to the cabin and check in with Karen."

"Yeah, I think I'm going to grab a shower and a short nap before I head over to the library."

Sam had spent every free moment in the Blue River Library trying to research the locations of the rest of the flowers and wood that they needed to gather. They only had they thought about 4 ingredients left with just over three weeks to go until the eclipse but they were looking to be the most difficult.

Dean grabbed the keys to the Impala and was about to head out the door when he heard Sam shout through the bathroom door,

"Don't forget your hex bag!"

"I got it, Sammy." Dean yelled back sticking his hand in his jacket pocket and making sure the hex bag was still there. He and Sam had taken to carry them everywhere they went so as to hide themselves from any demons that might be trying to track them. He was closing the door behind him as he heard Sam start up the shower in the bathroom.

15 minutes later he was pulling up the cabin which was located farther up the mountain from Blue River and nicely hidden in a grove of towering pine trees. As Dean walked up to the door he hoped that the Impala's engine had given enough of a warning that it was him and not some demon walking up the door and he really didn't feel like getting shot today. He knocked four times on the solid, wooden door and called out announcing himself,

"Karen, its Dean. "

"What's the password?" came the answer from the other side of the door.

"Stairway to Heaven" he sighed. "Hurry up, I'm not getting any younger out here."

He heard a laugh from behind the door and then the clunk of the bolt on the door sliding open. Karen opened the door and he stepped carefully over the demon's trap painted inside the door, careful not to break the lines.

"That last run took you guys a while" stated Karen as she opened up the bag of food Dean had brought her. "Did you guys get it all?"

"Yeah, this stuff isn't exactly found at the mall, you know." grumbled Dean handing her the other brown bag he was carrying.

Karen carried it over to the small table in the corner where she was keeping track of all the supplies they had gathered so far. Karen verbally listed all the ingredients they had so far

"100 year old Cedar…..willow…silver fir…oak…..date palms….hazel…myrtle...all the sacred plants of Artemis are accounted for now. We're making good progress. Only four ingredients left!"

Dean rubbed a hand over his face. "Which four are left again?" he asked starting to feeling the kinks in his body from sleeping in the car.

"A rare sandalwood oil that comes from India but we should be able to track it down somewhere in the United States. They sell it as a rare perfume. Silver sage and then a moonflower picked under a full moon from a sacred Wiccan burial site somewhere in Montana, that one could prove tricky. I have no clue where it could be and witches are very protective of their sacred sites."

"Great, I hate witches" grumbled Dean.

"I might be able to get some help on that one….maybe. Greta and I were pretty close. When we were younger and my parents went off on hunting trips then they would leave me and my brothers with Greta once and a while. She taught me a few tricks" she grinned over at Dean. "I knew a few of the other witches that were part of Greta's coven. They might be able to help us. With the moonflower and the ritual. When you guys were gone I tried to track them down and get a hold of them but I haven't had any luck yet. I'm hoping that if we can get more than one witch to help us out then we might be able to make more than four guns."

"Good thinking. But let's focus on just getting one first. But you said four ingredients. What's the last one?" asked Dean raising an eyebrow at Karen.

Karen blushed a little and turned her eyes away under Dean's scrutiny. Dean narrowed his gaze and waited for her to answer him.

"The last ingredient is the blood of a direct descendent of Samuel Colt. Which we already have."

Dean was a little taken aback. "You didn't tell us that it took your blood" he said giving her a look. "How much?"

"About a pint or so I would guess, more if we need to make more than four guns."

Dean huffed. "There's no way you are leaving this cabin now. Especially if your blood is the key ingredient."

"Look, I'm sick of being stuck in this stupid cabin! Why do you think I didn't tell you about it before?!" she said angrily.

"Well there's no way you can step foot outside where someone or anyone can just pick you off because then we are screwed and all this won't do us any good!" Dean countered, raising his voice. "I just don't want to see you get hurt" Dean clamed up after that, not meaning to let that last part slip out.

"You….don't want me to get hurt?" Karen clarified feeling a warm rush come over her. "How do you think I feel when I got you guys into this and I'm sending you all over creation for this stupid ritual? What if they know you guys are helping me and you guys get hurt or…or worse?"

"We knew what we were getting into when we took you with us." Said Dean matter-of-factly.

Karen just sighed, ready to change the subject. "I'm going to take a shower. Care to join me?" she asked throwing Dean a seductive look.

Dean bit back what he really wanted to say which was "Hell yes!" and instead answered, "I'm good."

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Dean mentally berated himself. He had been fighting off his urges for a couple of weeks now and it just kept getting harder and harder. But he told himself that he couldn't get involved with her, not when there was so much on the line and he couldn't afford any distractions. They still had to work together and he couldn't afford to muck it up with feelings. He tried to concentrate on the books that were all laid out on the table but his mind kept wandering back to the bathroom. Finally he decided to make something to eat to distract himself.

Just as he finished off one sandwich and was making himself another, Karen came walking out of the bathroom, finished with her shower. Dean looked up from his sandwich and felt a warm rush. She was dressed in a black tank top and simple cotton underwear with her still wet hair flowing down her back. Dean felt a slight heat rush to his face and he turned back to his sandwich.

'_What was the matter with him?! He was Dean Winchester and he DID NOT blush in front of girls!' _he thought to himself.

She walked over to the counter where Dean was and grabbed some grapes off the table and popped them into her mouth. She kept flashing glances his direction but he just kept trying to busy himself with the sandwich-making process, ignoring what his body was trying to tell him.

Finally she cleared her throat and said his name.

"Dean…"

He looked up and turned towards her and she stepped closer to him.

"I think that I know what you're thinking. And this is a whole new situation for me. I've always had my brothers around and looking out for me but now here I am, alone. And I know there is a lot going on right now and maybe it's not the best time, but you are an incredibly interesting…and attractive…man. And I would really welcome a distraction, if anything just to help me forget about all the crap that has happened in the last few months, even for just a little while."

She drew closer and turned him so that his back was against the counter while she pressed her body against him. He could smell the scent of her shampoo and feel the warmth of her body leaning into him. He looked up to her face and her blue eyes met his green ones. He felt himself getting lost in the depths of those eyes. And in that moment all of his doubts and fears about not allowing himself the things that he wanted for fear of losing them, melted away. He was sick of fighting his reasoning and all his excuses disappeared from his head.

He leaned his head forward and crushed his lips against hers, while at the same time reaching one of his arms around her back to pull her even closer with the other resting on her waist. She allowed him to pull her into him and one of her hands wound its way into his short, dark hair while the other slipped under his arm to grasp his back. Dean could feel his body heat rising, responding to her as they kissed deeper. One of his hands slipped under the fabric of her tank top and over the smooth skin of her back as he drew his hand up, his other twining itself in her still wet hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss and himself. Seconds later her hands found their way under his shirt and pulled it over his head and off. He could feel her fingers tracing the lines of the muscles of his chest, shooting tingles of electricity down his nerves wherever her hands touched.

His hands then made their way around to her smooth, flat stomach still under the fabric of her tank top. He slid his hands up farther to find a significant lack of a bra. She moaned against his lips as he caressed her breasts and he could feel her sliding her hands down his chest to the top of his jeans where a significant pressure was building. Then she pulled away just slightly, hooked her fingers in his belt loops and pulled him in the direction of the bedroom. He kept his arms wrapped around her, kissing her as they stumbled their way down the hallway.

She smirked as she shoved him forcefully up against the wall. Her hands found their way back down as she caressed the skin that ran along the top line of his jeans. Dean could feel every feather light touch like a shock of electricity increasing his sense of euphoria. Finally she slid her fingers around to the front and to the top of his jeans and pulled at them until the button came undone. She helped him slide them off until he was only in his boxers.

As the door shut behind them, he gently lowered her onto the bed, his lips finding their way to her neck. "I've never met….any younger hunters…..that weren't…..related to me….and damn, am I ever glad that I met you." She said breathlessly between his kisses. Dean just smiled as he found his way back to her lips while continuing to explore her body with his hands.

He pushed himself up on his arms on top of her and then his kisses found their way lower and lower….tracing her jaw, down her neck to her chest and then finally to her stomach where her tank top was pulled up. Dean could hear her breathing increase as he took his time caressing her body and planting kisses on her bare skin. Finally he pushed her tank top up and over her head. He took a few moments to just look at her, all of her, and 'God, she was so beautiful!' he thought. Finally she drew him back down to her lips and their pace increased. Soon there was nothing but bare skin between the two of them. They kissed lustfully and fiercely while his hands found every curve of her body. And then nothing else in the world mattered anymore at that moment as they found their way into passionate ecstasy.

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A/N: Whew, a nice, steamy ending for you. Thanks for sticking with me everybody! I will hopefully get another chapter out later this week.


	5. Chapter 5-Distraction

A/N: I had to make a slight alteration to chapter 4 because I realized I forgot a very small but important detail towards the beginning of the chapter after the boys arrive back in Blue River. It plays an important part in what happens in this chapter. Hope you all enjoy! Show me some love guys….Please Review and let me know what you think so far!

Chapter 5-Distraction

Dean unlocked the door of the hotel room and stepped inside, searching the room for Sam. Once finding that his brother wasn't back from the library yet, Dean let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't exactly sure how he was going to explain this one to Sam. He had pretty much just spent the entire afternoon making love to Karen and according to Sam, he always got a look on his face that told his brother when he had scored. But he didn't feel ready to share this one with Sam just yet. He tossed his heavy jacket over the back of one of the chairs. He definitely didn't need it in the hot summer heat.

Dean grabbed a quick shower trying to wash away any evidence of his steamy afternoon spent in the bedroom of the cabin before heading to the library to find Sam. After drying off, Dean pulled on one of his favorite gray T-shirts and deciding on a dark blue over-shirt verses his jacket which was going to make him too warm even with the cooling temperatures that followed the setting sun. He was looking around the room, feeling like he was forgetting something when his phone rang,

"Hey Sammy. I'm just on my way to meet you at the library."

"Good, because I could use some help searching through these books. I think I might be getting close to the location of the burial site."

"I'll be there in two minutes. I'm just leaving the motel," Dean stated quickly grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

As he drove select images from the afternoon couldn't help but sneak their way into his head; Karen walking out of the bathroom in her top and underwear, the feel of her body and the way it responded to his with rising heat, each moan she made as he touched every sensitive area of her body with his lips and finally replayed every moment from when he entered her to when they fell back on the bed exhausted from multiple orgasms only to fall asleep with his arms around her. They had woken up an hour later and repeated the process again in bed…..and in the shower…..and again in the kitchen. Dean couldn't keep the grin from his face as he reminisced. He could only hope that they had a few more opportunities before they had to go on the next run.

As the Impala pulled up to the library, Dean pushed the images and thoughts to the back of his head and wiped the grin off his face. His love life was the last thing that they needed to focus on right now. He walked into the library and headed to the basement where the older books were kept and exactly where he knew his brother would be. He found Sam in a back corner surrounded by piles of books and several styrofoam cups from Sam's multiple coffee runs among the leftovers of vending machine snacks. As he sat down at the table Sam let out a long sigh and pushed the large dusty book he was looking at away from him.

Sam leaned back in the chair and stretched, hearing a few cracks of his back protesting his hunched position for so long. Running one hand over his face and the other through his hair, he finally made eye contact with his brother. Something was different about his brother. There was a different light to his eyes then there was this morning when he last saw his brother. Dean shot him a questioning look and then the look was gone. Maybe he was spending a few too many hours down in this basement with its dim fluorescents.

"So have you found anything yet?"

"No, not yet. But I'm pretty sure I've narrowed down the field to this stack of books," Sam indicated to the pile of books to his left. "I could sure use some help skimming through these. The words are starting to blur together."

Dean sighed and grabbed the top book off the stack. He hated research and he hated it even more when he had to search through ancient books covered in dust. After only an hour of paging through books and skimming pages, Dean was starting to feel a headache begin behind his eyes. Just then his stomach rumbled rather loudly in the quiet basement.

"Have you eaten yet, Sam?"

"No, just vending machine food since breakfast this morning, " answered Sam shooting him a guilty look.

"Why don't we call it a day and head to the bar a few blocks down and get some food and maybe a couple of drinks to chase away this headache I'm getting?" suggested Dean anxious already to leave the dim basement.

"Actually, I think I'm going to stay here until the library closes in an hour and then just grab a burger on the way back to the motel. I'm going to be ready to just crash after spending all day down here. But why don't you go ahead to the bar and I'll meet you back at the motel?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah, a couple of drinks will help you sleep better and hopefully I won't have to listen to you toss and turn all night," smirked Sam.

Dean gave his little brother's head a push and stood up from the table stretching. Before he left he pulled the Impala's keys from his pocket and dropped them on the table.

"Why don't you take the Impala…..I'll walk back to the motel."

"You sure?"

Dean nodded. Truth be told, he was planning on having more than a few drinks and the motel was only 8 blocks from the bar. He had some thinking to do and the walk would do him good.

A few minutes later Dean was seated at the bar with a glass of whiskey in front of him and waiting on his food from the kitchen. As he stared into his glass he couldn't help but rethink his decision about this afternoon. He had let his downstairs brain take over and now he was regretting it a little bit. His reasoning was creeping its way back in and he remembered how much was on the line for them right now. Neither he, or Karen, or Sam for that matter could afford to have him distracted. He hasn't had a relationship up to this point for a reason. Half because he didn't want to be tied down somewhere and half because it was something else the world of bad could use to their advantage. One more person they could use against him. He couldn't always be around to protect them and that would just end up getting people killed. He emptied his glass and signaled to the bartender for another one.

Eventually his food arrived and Dean suddenly felt ravenous. He had the burger gone in just a few minutes and then took it a little easier on the fries. As soon as he had finished off his third glass of whiskey, the headache finally ebbing completely away and his entire body feeling much more relaxed, his phone rang.

"Sam…..you find something?"

"Yeah! I think I've finally got the location! I'm headed back to the motel with the books. Meet me there?"

"Yeah, okay Sammy. I'll be there in about 15 minutes."

"Do you want me to come back and pick you up?"

"No, I'm fine walking. Don't forget to eat, Sam. You've been down in that basement all day."

"Yeah, yeah…all right. See you in a few."

Dean hung up the phone and pulled some bills out of his pocket for the drinks and the food, left them on the counter and headed out the side door into the alley, a shortcut to the motel. Dean swept his eyes from side to side and noted the two guys standing farther down the alleyway, just talking it seemed. Dean heads off down the alley at a brisk pace, in a hurry to get back to the motel.

As he nears the two guys he sees them eye him and elbow each other. He just angles to walk around them. When they move to block his path, he sighs to himself. He was really not in the mood to have to beat down some stupid idiots who made themselves feel tough by picking fights. Those kinds never lasted long against him but still, he had places to be. He turned hearing more noise behind him only to run into two more decently sized guys standing a few feet away blocking his route back down the alley.

"Where you headed, Winchester?"

Dean's eyes instantly snapped to full alert and his body tensed. The use of his name did not fail to slip past him and he knew then he was in trouble. His right hand flew to the back of his jeans where his pistol was tucked away in its place in his waistband. He had no sooner drawn it out when it was knocked out of his grip with a fist that felt like solid rock. As the pain shot up his arm he saw his gun slide up against the opposite wall, well out of his reach. He doesn't hesitate despite the pain and swings his left arm around to connect with the closest temple, knocking the guy back a few steps. He pulled back for another swing when a hit like a bulldozer knocked him up against the brick wall.

He hit the wall back first and the impact pushed the air from his lungs in a huff and he looked up into the faces of the men surrounding him. As he met each of their faces their eyes flashed to black and the only thought that flitted through his head was _'Shit'. _And just as he is wondering how the hell they knew he would be here, he suddenly remembered what it was he had forgotten back at the hotel room. The hex bag was in his jacket, which he had left slung over the back of the chair.

He is in deep shit now. He had left Ruby's knife with Sam in order to give his brother just a little more protection wherever he went. Before his thought process can go any farther, they are on him again. Fists come at him from every direction and there is no way he can block them all but he does manage to land one or two of his own between the constant and pain-inducing blows to his body.

Each fist hits him like a wrecking ball and every hit to his face setting off colorful spots of light in front of his eyes. All the air is forced from his lungs with several hits to his chest and abdomen and the hits just kept on coming and he is unable to pull the air back into his lungs.

Finally the assault ceases, if only temporarily, and he slides down the wall, trying desperately to pull air into his lungs. Finally the spasms of his chest let up enough and he's able to take in a few shallow breaths and the spots start to clear from in front of his eyes. He can feel blood running down his face from his nose and what must be several cuts up on his forehead and cheek. He spits the blood out that has gathered in his mouth and glares up at the men standing over him.

"That all you got?" he asks with more cockiness and confidence then he feels, giving them a smirk as he spits again in their direction. "Why don't you just kill me and get it over with?"

"Oh we aren't going to kill you," chuckles one, "Boss gave specific instructions to bring you in alive."

'_Fuck.' _Dean's heart gives a little stutter as he comes to the realization that he is in deeper shit then he originally thought. This wasn't just a random demon beat-down….this was a set-up. In that second he knew what, and who, they must be after and there was no way in hell they were getting it from him.

"He never said anything about not throwing you a beating first, " the same one smirked at him as he stepped forward from the others.

Then the kicks started. Dean could swear he heard several ribs crack as the same guy landed kick after kick to his chest and stomach. He was pinned between the kicks and the wall and he had nowhere to go. He could feel the pain starting to pull him under. One final kick to his face and he was swimming in blackness. But he wasn't out for the count yet but he lay still, waiting, trying to shove the pain down for just a few moments. He heard a van pull up next to them in the alley and a sliding door open. He felt rough, uncaring hands grabbing at him. Two of them picked him up, one grabbed his legs and the other had his arms under his shoulders, hauling him off the ground and carrying him towards what he assumed was the door of the van. There was no way he was going to let them get him in that van without a fight.

Moving quickly despite the roaring, searing pain in his bod, he draws his knees up to his chest pulling the demon holding his legs along with them and then kicks out as hard as he can landing a solid blow to the guys chest. The demon immediately drops his feet as he stumbles and falls flat on his ass. Dean gets his feet under him fast and then cranks back and lands a solid elbow to the face of the demon grasping his torso. Dean falls to his knees as he is promptly released as the demon falls back against the van. As he is halfway to his feet to run, an arm rippled with muscle wraps around his throat, putting him in a choke hold. His air supply cut off, Dean's struggles quickly weaken and unable to fight anymore, he passes out.

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Sam paces back and forth in the hotel room waiting for Dean to get back. "_Hadn't Dean said he would be there in 15 minutes?" _Sam checked his watch. He had first called his brother 45 minutes ago. He had tried four times in the last 10 minutes but every time he called it went straight to voicemail. Grabbing his jacket and the Impala's keys he decides to go and find his brother.

"_Maybe his brother had just gotten caught up in his drinks or was finishing hustling some pool and lost track of what the time was."_ Sam hopes that those thoughts aren't just wishful thinking as he pulls up to the front of the bar. The place is busy but he doesn't see any sign of his brother. He steps up to talk to the bartender and as he describes his brother he sees a flicker of recognition in the man's face.

No, Dean wasn't here anymore. He had come, had a few drinks and ordered food from the kitchen. The guy had remembered seeing him answer the phone and then said that he had left right after that, over a half hour ago. The bartender had pointed him to the side door that Dean had left out of that led to the alleyway.

Sam walked out the door and into the alleyway looking up and down the way searching for Dean, or any sign of him. He started to walk in the direction of the motel hoping to find evidence that Dean had passed this way. He had gone about halfway down the alley when the dim light from the street lamp farther up the alley gleamed off of something on the ground. He walked closer and as soon as his eyes were able to focus on what it was his heart skipped a few beats. It was his brother's pistol, his favorite, resting against the base of the wall.

Sam picked it up off the ground and scanned the area around where he was standing. His trained eyes could instantly pick out the evidence of a struggle in the dirt and garbage scattering the alley. And then, on the opposite wall from where he found the gun, he saw blood. And multiple tiny puddles of it on the ground. It was his brother's blood, he was sure of it. That was the only reason he could come up with for why Dean hadn't made it to the motel and had left his favorite weapon behind. Sam sprinted back to the Impala and tore out of town. He headed up the mountain to the cabin and was instantly pounding on the door.

Karen pulled open the door without even asking for the password having heard the car screech to a stop in front of the cabin. Sam only spoke three words to her and those three words froze her heart and she felt ice creep through her veins.

"They've got Dean."

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A/N: Alright guys! Let me hear it! The love, the hate…..bring it on!


	6. Chapter 6-Desperation

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took me so long to get up guys! This last week has been a hectic and crazy week and I've had a lot of distractions. But I'm still plugging away! I hope you all really enjoy this chapter, because I had a lot of fun writing it. So review review review!**

Chapter 6-Desperation

Dean was jarred back to consciousness, as whatever he was lying on gave a large jolt and his head bounced against the hard surface. Reality came seeping back in and he remembered the van as they went over yet more potholes. He lay still, on his back, with his eyes closed, fighting against the sharp aches and pains that seemed to come from every part of his body. His ribs were in agony and he had a constant thrumming pain keeping beat with his heart inside his head.

The van gives a lurch as it comes to a stop and even that small movement shoots anew through his injuries. He can hear movement around him but keeps his eyes closed and body still as he listens, trying to glean any information he can from the demons around him.

The door to his left slides open and he can feel a rush of cooler air hit his face. Hands are again tugging at him, pulling him across the rough carpet of the van floor and towards the door. He tries as best he can to make his body appear limp as though he is still unconscious, even as every tug causes him pain. One guy/demon wraps both his arms under Dean's shoulders and around his chest hauling him all the way out of the van and beginning to pull him across the room, his heels dragging behind them on the floor.

'_This Winchester is not going to go down as easily as they think'_ Dean muses to himself. If he can't get himself out of this then he'll make them kill him first before he'll give up anything and he plans to make them do it before they try to torture it out of him. He gains his feet under him, surprising the demon dragging him and again leading with the strong point of his elbow, lands a blow straight to the neck of his captor. He is promptly dropped as the demon falls to the ground, temporarily stunned from a hit that would have rendered a normal man unconsious. Dean's sharp eyes flash around and he comes to the conclusion he is in a warehouse of some sort. He doesn't have much time to take in his surroundings as, at that moment, two more demons are rushing him. Despite the pain tearing its way through his body with every movement, Dean puts up a pretty good fight. Finally, he is caught by a blow to his knees from behind sending him crashing to the ground as he loses his feet.

A hand is fisted in his hair and his head is yanked back viciously. He feels the sharp sting of the needle in his neck and knows that this fight is done. He was pretty sure whatever they were injecting him with wasn't going to be pain meds. He feels the warm flush sensation follow his bloodstream through his arteries and he tries to fight the attempt of the drugs to pull him under. He is pushed onto his stomach and a boot is planted between his shoulder blades, keeping him face-planted into the ground. His arms are both wrenched strongly and painfully behind his back and he can feel his wrists being lashed together. The material is hard and cold and it bites painfully into his wrists, drawing blood. Unable to move, the drugs finally accomplish what they were meant to and Dean slips under into darkness, unaware of what was yet in store for him.

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"What do you mean, 'They have Dean?'" Karen asks, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. Sam is panicked enough for the both of them and she has to know what he's found.

Sam quickly rambles through what happened from when Dean left him at the library to when he had called Dean to come and meet him at the hotel. He began to get more anxious as he explained what he had found when he went looking for Dean and what had made him think that Dean was missing. As Sam talked, Karen could feel her chest tightening and a slight feeling of fear tightening into a knot in her stomach.

As far as they could gather, Dean had been missing for almost two hours now and they had no idea where to start looking for him. Sam was pacing the cabin with his hands fisted in his hair, his worry and fear for his brother evident on his face, while at the same time wracking his brain to try and figure out where they should start looking for Dean. Sam had just turned to begin another lap around the cabin when a soft ding and vibration came from the phone in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and flipped it open, desperate for information. A look of first relief and then confusion came over his face as he stared at his phone. It was a text message…..from Dean.

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Very slowly Dean became aware that he was drifting back into consciousness. First came the faint noises and smells and then, to his dismay, came the feelings. The cold, the stiffness…and yes, there it was…the pain. And lots of it! It was everywhere, every inch of his body pulsing with pain. Dean tried in vain to open his eyes to figure out where he was now. Even with the shock of pain to his system, Dean found it very difficult to pull his eyelids open. Finally he was able to fight against the heaviness of the drugs and open his eyes.

His vision was constantly blurring in and out of sharpness, most likely an aftereffect of the drugs they had injected him with. He was aware that he was sitting up and in a chair. He was in a mostly empty room with a couple of support pillars spread throughout the room. He noticed his over-shirt in a pile in the corner of the room along with his boots, leaving him with bare feet in the chilly, concrete room. Thankfully the rest of him was still dressed, with his jeans and his T-shirt intact. After a few more minutes he became aware that they had searched him and all of his weapons had been removed as he noticed them in another small pile next to his shirt and shoes.

His attention was then drawn to his wrists as painful, sharp jolts made their way up and down his arms with the pulsing of his blood. The pulse at least reminded him that he was, indeed, still alive. He could feel the blood dripping off the tips of his fingers as he started to wiggle and then fist them to test his circulation. He attempted to twist his wrists to see if he could loosen his bonds but the material was unrelenting and it only cut farther in. He then curled his fingers in and attempted to feel what was biting into the tender skin. His fingers came into contact with hard, sticky with blood, metallic…..wire?

'_They had used wire?! That was brutal….not even going to give him a tiny chance were they? Well, this is a problem. But hey, at least it isn't barbed wire…'_ he thought optimistically to himself, not that it reassured him in any way.

Moving on to assess the rest of his body, he was aware that his ankles were also secured to the legs of the chair and thick cords of rope were wrapped around his chest. This rope was keeping him tight to the back of the chair and upright, unable to curl in over his ribs, which were in fiery agony, or his other injuries. He could feel the strain on his ribs and the dull pain in his bruised abdomen with every breath that he pulled into his lungs. He was definitely going to have a hard time getting out of this one.

His vision blurred again and he shook his head trying to clear his vision when he heard the door to the room open and then click shut again.

"Dean. Welcome back to the world of the living" a slightly over-happy voice echoed in the room.

Dean pulled his head up and blinked his eyes a few more times trying in vain to clear the drugs from his head.

"Sorry about the drugs, but you definitely were not making things very easy" taunted the voice not sounding the least bit sorry.

"Well, I've always been a bit of a rebel." Finally, with a few more blinks and shakes, Dean's vision clears, allowing him to focus on the man standing in front of him.

Instead of a demon in a suit, like he had been expecting, this demon had possessed some middle-aged guy dressed in clean jeans and an untucked button-up, plaid shirt. The demon was leaning against one of the pillars in the room, apparently waiting for him to pull himself together.

"Guess you guys are trying to move away from the suits and ties, huh?" asked Dean sarcastically while flashing a smirk.

"Suits were always a little stuffy for my taste. I always maintained my own taste of style, even down in the pit. Do you remember, Dean?"

Something about the demon in front of him did nudge faintly at him from the bank of memories from hell that he had buried deep in the recesses of his mind. But there was no way he was going to dredge those up to go digging around for this guy's name.

Seeing the confused, searching look on Dean's face the demon finally caved and introduced himself.

At the name of Thomas, several flashes fought their way to the forefront of Dean's memories and he recalled the twisted and cruel demon standing in front of him. But then Thomas started talking again.

"Now Dean, I know and you know, that I won't be able to get the location of the Colt girl out of you. The Winchesters have a certain reputation, especially you. From down in the pit and even up here from what I've heard. Now you may be able to hold out from telling me and you might even give your life willingly to protect her…..but what about little Sammy? Would Sam be willing to sacrifice your life, to protect hers?"

Dean's eyes widened slightly at that last statement. He knew that Sam wouldn't just let him die. Instead, he would definitely do something foolish and try to rescue him. He might even be stupid enough to get Karen involved and then he would be playing right into their hands. He glared at Thomas as a second demon entered the room and handed something to Thomas. Dean recognized his cell phone. The second demon circled around behind him and out of his sightline as Thomas walked over to the small pile of Dean's weapons and picked up a small, thin blade that he usually kept hidden in his boot.

At the moment that Thomas starts walking towards him, fiddling with his phone, a rough wad of fabric is forced between his teeth and tied tightly around the back of his head. Dean winces slightly as he can feel the pull of it on his split lip and he feels fresh blood trickling down his chin.

"Look this way now" commands Thomas in a slightly sing-song voice.

Dean reflexively turns to face Thomas and he hears the click of his camera phone. He quickly turns away again but it's too late.

"Beautiful, Dean! And now we just forward this on to Sammy and then we wait for him to call. Sure hope he calls back quickly before I get too bored and have to resort to something to keep myself entertained" he taunts, meeting Dean's eyes and twirling the knife around in his fingers.

It only takes seconds before Dean's ringtone sounds off and echoes around the mostly empty room. Thomas answers the phone with an obnoxious 'hello' and Dean can already hear Sam shouting on the other end, asking what they've done with his brother.

"Now Sam, I need you to calm down and listen closely" warns Thomas with a deadly edge to his voice. "I want the Colt girl. I want her and her annoying little pistol. It's either her….or your brother. I will not hesitate to kill Dean if you do not bring her to me within the next two hours. I know that you know where she is and I know that she's close by. And to be sure you stick to my timeline, I'm going to give you a little…incentive. You know that little three inch blade your brother keeps hidden in his boot..."

A vicious grin spreads across Thomas's face at those last words and he puts the phone on speaker as he stalks over to where Dean is immobilized in his chair. Dean's breath hisses out around the gag as the knife point is pressed up against his left side. The pressure is slowly increasing and Dean bites down on the gag to hold in a scream as the knife is slowly dug into his side, piercing the skin. He knows Thomas is slowly forcing the knife in, in order to elicit a scream from Dean to motivate his brother into action.

Dean manages to hold in his scream but a couple of deep moans escape as he can feel the knife sliding in farther and farther, up to the hilt. Dean realizes his body is shaking with the effort of holding it all in as every nerve in his side is on fire, sending little bullets of pain shooting out from the entry point. He can feel sweat starting to drip down his face and he is completely helpless, secured to the chair as he is.

Suddenly and violently, Thomas gives the knife a vicious twist and Dean is unable to hold back the scream that escapes from around the gag. Finally the knife stops moving and Dean is left panting in pain as the left side of his shirt is slowly stained red with his own blood. He can vaguely hear Sam shouting his name on the other end of the phone as it is held close to his face. Dean is unable to make any sounds to comfort his brother around the gag or the pain that is shocking its way through his body. Thomas steps away from Dean, leaving the knife buried up to the hilt in Dean's side.

"Sam….." Thomas calmly says his brother's name over Sam's insistent shouts that he is going to kill Thomas if anything happens to his brother.

"Dean is slowly bleeding out onto my floor. He has about an hour and a half, two at the most before his blood levels become critical. I suggest you get a move on. I'll text you the location. Hurry up now, and don't keep your brother waiting." Thomas then hung up the phone, cutting off any further protests from Sam's end.

Thomas sidles over to Dean and gives the handle of the knife a little jiggle, eliciting more groans from Dean. "I'm going to just leave this here with you. Can't have you bleeding out too fast, now can we?" Thomas turns to walk out of the room followed by the second demon. "I wouldn't move around too much if I were you" he calls back to Dean, turning at the door and flashing him a wink before closing the door behind him leaving Dean alone, shaking and in pain, in this cold and empty room.

Dean can feel that the wound to his side is bleeding slowly but surely, and soon he knows that his jeans will be soaked with it. With nothing to slow the bleeding, Dean knows that it will happen just as Thomas said and he will slip into unconsciousness and eventually die. Half of his brain is hoping that his little brother will stay away and protect Karen and her secret at all costs and the other half of his brain is screaming for his little brother to hurry…..because he doesn't want to die.

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A/N: And to be continued! Can't you just feel the tension building? This chapter was pretty Dean-centric but I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. Next chapter will have a couple more POVs. Stay with me everyone, I promise this story is going places!


	7. Chapter 7- Deliverance part 1

**A/N: I am so sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter written and posted! You have all been waiting to hear what is going to happen to Dean and I have been slacking! It's been a really busy couple of weeks at work and I've had to go some long stretches between days off since I work every other weekend at the hospital as well as during the week at the clinic. While writing this chapter I realized it was turning out to be awfully long and so I have decided to split it into two parts. I'm posting the first part tonight and I'm hoping to get the second part finished in the next couple of days. Key word…hoping. But here is part 1…..I hope you all enjoy it immensely! **

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Chapter 7-Deliverance- Part 1

Sam stared down at the phone in his hand still too shocked and confused to open the text message from Dean's phone. Karen gave him a questioning look before taking the phone out of his hand and opening the message. It was a picture. She opened it to full view before her hand covered her mouth and an "Oh my God" squeaked out before she thrust the phone back towards him and turned her expression away. Sam glanced down at the picture and he was pretty sure that his heart stopped for a few seconds. It was a picture of Dean, tied to a chair and his face covered in blood. There was a gag in his mouth and he was staring defiantly at the camera. Sam took a few deep breaths and then hit the speed dial for Dean's phone. It didn't take long for someone to answer.

"What have you done with my brother?"

The voice on the other end of the phone spoke in a low and menacing voice and told him that he wanted Karen in exchange for Dean. He had two hours and if he didn't bring her, then Dean would die. After issuing the timeline, the voice said something about incentive. He could hear muffled grunts and groans from the other end of the line. Then he heard a sound that he immediately recognized, his brother's scream. Even around the gag Sam knew must still be there, he knew his brother's voice anywhere and he was in pain. Sam lost control and started screaming into the phone,

"DEAN! Damnit! You son-of-a-bitch! I will kill you! If anything happens to my brother, I will hunt you down to the end of my days and I will kill you!"

The voice on the line came back on and informed him that Dean only had a very short time before he would bleed out from the wound and that he would text him the location of where to bring Karen. And then the line when dead.

Sam sank against the wall of the cabin and hung his head in his hands. _'This was his fault. He should never have let Dean go to the bar by himself. They should have stuck together and then his brother wouldn't be in this mess'._ Sam could feel himself start to panic. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't just turn Karen over to them. She was innocent and the weapons they hoped to make were their chance to turn the tables against the demons. But he couldn't lose his brother. He couldn't just let Dean die. His mind was whirling round and round and his breath came in short pants and he could feel himself hyperventilating.

Then Karen was kneeling in front of him and taking his face in her hands. She turned his face up to hers and spoke to him in a soothing voice. She told him to match his breathing to hers and when he looked in her eyes he could feel his mind slowing and himself becoming more grounded. Just as he got a grip on himself again, his phone beeped and vibrated. He assumed this was the address for where he was supposed to bring Karen and the gun. Where they were holding Dean. Karen took the phone from his hand and walked over to where her computer sat open on the table.

Finally Sam pulled himself off the floor and sat down next to Karen to see what she was pulling up. She was looking up the address on a map. It was a warehouse in the next town over. He then watched as she pulled up a blue-print of the building.

"Hmmmm, it looks like it's mostly open space, but here…" she pointed to the section at the back of the building, "…..back here are all the storage spaces. There is a front and back hallway and each of these rooms opens up into both. I'm betting that's where they'll be keeping Dean."

"I have my gun and you have your knife. I think I've got a plan. It's risky at best, but I'm not about to leave Dean in the hands of those demons and I know that you won't either. And if we go down, then at least we'll go down fighting."

Sam looked up and met her eyes, which had hardened into a steely blue color. He saw then, a flicker of something and knew that Dean meant something to her too. And he knew that she would fight to her last breath to help him rescue his brother.

"Okay…" he said, "what's your plan?"

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Dean was leaning his head back against the chair, focusing on keeping the air flowing in and out of his lungs. He was starting to feel terribly light-headed and his brain was going fuzzy. Every time he moved, even a little, he could feel the knife's sharp edge dig in his side. The fabric of his shirt was soaked with blood and the left leg of his pants was also covered in deep red. He could hear a puddle forming as the drops of blood reached the edge of the chair and spilled over, plopping onto the floor. He heard the door open and shut again and with effort, pulled his head forward to glare at Thomas, who had entered the room alone. Thomas walked over to him and crouched down to look him in the eye.

"How you doing there, Dean?" asked Thomas with a smug smile on his face. "Your brother's timeline is winding down. Less than 40 minutes to go. Maybe he does plan on leaving you here to die." Thomas stood up and walked back over to lean against the pillar in front of him.

Dean just shot him another death glare, wishing more than anything that he was able to kill demons with the power of his mind. Thomas began spouting on about some memory they must have shared in hell but Dean wasn't listening. He just kept pulling air into his lungs trying to drive the slight blurs back from the edge of his vision.

Thomas finally became aware that Dean wasn't enthralled in his trip down memory lane and looking annoyed, walked back over and wrapped his hand around the handle of the embedded knife. A mischievous look came over his face and Dean only just recognized the evil glint in his eye in time to bite down hard on the gag before Thomas ripped the knife from his side, spilling more blood onto the ground. Dean was unable to hold in his grunt and his jaw ached from biting down on the gag between his teeth. When Thomas pulled the knife out his vision darkened for just a few seconds and Dean huffed with pain. When his vision cleared he could see Thomas standing in front of him with the knife in his hand and Dean watched his own blood drip off the tip of the blade.

"Well, I'm getting bored and since your brother is taking his sweet time, I'm thinking it's time to really ramp up the fun."

He came closer and slid the knife teasingly along Dean's jaw line. He was just increasing the pressure to leave a little knick when his ears caught the sound of a distant gunshot. Thomas froze and straightened, his head cocked to one side. Then he heard another shot. Dean almost sighed with relief at the puzzled look on Thomas's face. Thomas turned to look at the door as it opened and another demon walked in the door. He motioned Thomas over and hissed something in his ear. Dean's relieved feeling vanished when he saw the triumphant smile appear on Thomas. Thomas looked over at him and then turned back to the demon at his side whom Dean now just recognized as the bartender from the bar where they had first met Karen. He knew he had looked familiar earlier but couldn't place him before.

"You know what to do. Cut him loose." Thomas ordered his little sidekick.

The demon advanced on Dean and Dean shied back from the large Bowie knife he held in his hands. The demon then cut loose the ropes around his chest and then bent down to cut the ropes holding his legs to the chair as well. He grabbed Dean roughly by the collar of his T-shirt and Dean squeezed his eyes shut as he was wrenched up from the chair, his arms twisted awkwardly as they were pulled over the backrest.

His side screamed at him as he was hauled to his feet and a large arm wrapped over his shoulder and across his chest and the razor sharp edge of the knife was held against his throat. Dean tried to tilt his head back away from the blade but it only encouraged the demon to press it tighter and Dean felt it slice the skin. He could feel a slight trickle of blood find its way from the shallow cut.

Dean was feeling more and more lightheaded as he could still feel the blood running from the puncture in his side. His legs were barely holding him up but the demon was strong and kept him on his feet. The demon pulled him around the backside of one of the pillars, out of sight of the front door, all the while keeping the blade tight against his throat preventing any struggle on Dean's part. It was then that Dean caught sight of what he hadn't been able to see before, the back door of the room. The door is cracked open just slightly and there is a small window in the top half of the door. Dean blinked his eyes a few times and tried to focus on the small window. He could have sworn he saw a glimpse of light brown hair before the head ducked down again. Dean allowed himself to relax just marginally, not enough for the demon to notice. He smiled to himself, _'Sammy's here.' _

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Sam quickly ducked his head down out of sight of the window. It took everything in him not to rush into the room to help his brother once he had gotten a glimpse inside. He could hear the distant gunshots from the other hallway as Karen worked her way through the building. It had been her idea to have Sam go in the back way with the knife to try to pinpoint where Dean's exact location was. He had already had to kill four demons on his way in but for now his hallway was empty as Karen was most likely drawing their attention elsewhere.

They had known that this was going to be a trap but they were prepared for that. Karen was going to spring the trap and she would be relying on Sam to throw a wrench in their plans. He was waiting for Karen to find the right room and once she threw open the front door he was supposed to make his way in as well to catch them from behind. But with the demon in there, in full view of the back door with his brother at his mercy, there was no way he would be able to get inside without being spotted. Then their whole plan would be blown to hell and it would put all their lives at risk, more then what they already were, that is. He was going to have to wait and hope that Karen would draw their attention enough that he would be able to slip in unnoticed.

Sam hears the bang of the front door to the room and chances a look through the window once more to see Karen step into the room, having just kicked the door open. Her gun is leveled at the other demon in the room and he can just make out her words through the small opening in the door.

"Where is he?"

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Dean is doing his damndest to stay focused on what is going on around him but dammit, if that fuzziness was just bound and determined to keep eating away at his brain. He knows that Sam is here and he just has to hold on for a while longer. He hears the front door slam open and hears the distinctive footfalls of cowboy boots on the concrete floor. And then he hears Karen's voice and his heart sinks just a little. This was exactly what they wanted; she was playing right into their hands.

"Where is he?"

Thomas deflects her question coyly despite the gun pointed at his face, "Where's who?"

"Dean….where is he?" she speaks through a clenched jaw. "You have five seconds before I blow you back to hell."

"Oh darlin, if only you could. I would love to be back home instead of stuck up here chasing after you and your family."

Karen cocks back the hammer of the gun before he finally answers her.

"He's right here. "

Dean feels the demon behind him start to move, dragging him with him. He can hardly feel his feet as he stumbles and his legs feel like jelly as his strength continues to bleed out from the wound in his side. Once they are around the pillar, the demon releases the arm holding him up and kicks him in the back of his knees, buckling them. Dean lands heavily on his knees but before he can even register the pain, a hand is grasping his hair, yanking his head back so harshly that Dean is sure he's going to have whiplash, and the knife's sharp blade is once again at his throat.

"Dean"

The voice is so quiet that he barely catches his name and he blinks his eyes a few times before searching the room and locking eyes with Karen. He can see the concern and worry evident in her blue eyes. And then Thomas is speaking again.

"If you shoot me, Dean dies. Surrender yourself, and the gun, and I will spare him. "

Dean could see the choices rolling around inside Karen's head as she tried to debate what to do. If she shot Thomas, Barman back there was going to slit his throat. If she tried to save him by shooting Barman then likely Thomas was going to kill her. The demon holding him grew impatient and as if to emphasize the point, pressed the knife harder against his throat and Dean squeezes his eyes shut as the blade bites farther into his neck. Dean can feel the slight trickle from earlier come a little heavier now.

Darkness was starting to creep in around the far edges of Dean's vision as Karen met his eyes once more and he saw her hesitate just slightly. And then he saw the decision in her eyes and he closed his eyes waiting for the shot to come.

As soon as he hears the crack of the gun, the knife drops from his throat and his head is mercifully released as the demon behind him drops to the ground….dead. Dean's eyes fly open just in time to see her swing the gun back towards Thomas but she's not fast enough. Her shot goes wide as Thomas raises his hand at her and she is flying back into the wall. The gun falls from her hand, as her breath whooshes out from the impact. She is pinned and Dean is barely able to remain upright on his knees and can do nothing to help her.

The smug smile on Thomas's face is almost too disgusting to look at as he strolls over to Karen and her position against the wall. Dean can do nothing but glare as Thomas reaches up a hand to push the hair away from Karen's face.

"Hmmm, such a waste. We could have had lots of fun together" he croons.

A smile tugs at the corner of Dean's lips around the gag, as Karen spits in Thomas's face. But the look of fury that slips across Thomas's face afterwards is enough to wipe it away again. Thomas backs away from her with a short "Pity" and turns to pick up her fallen weapon.

"So this is one of the guns that has everyone in a tizzy. The gun that kills demons. Very nice." He turns towards Karen, meets her eyes and asks, "Think it will kill a Winchester?" before turning slowly and bringing the gun up to point straight at Dean's head. Dean's eyes slide closed and he takes a deep breath before he hears the shot.

TBC…..

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A/N: I am the queen of cliffhangers! I know, I know, I can hear the groans of annoyance from here. I will be working hard on this the next couple of days to get you part 2 as soon as I can. Stay tuned! Also, reviews are like crack and may spur me to write faster ;)


	8. Chapter 8-Deliverance part 2

**A/N: Sorry guys! That took a little longer than a few days. But I'm kicking myself in the butt and putting my nose to the grinding stone to keep myself on track in the next few weeks. I hope that I can get in a really good few days of writing and get myself ahead in chapters so that I can go back to posting on a semi-regular schedule. So stick with me! I promise there is a lot more to come in this story! Some more Hurt Dean and even some Hurt Sam. Got a few more interesting twists coming up as well. Can't wait to reveal them to you! But I'd really like to know what you guys think of the story so far! Am I too wordy with my chapters? Anything you would like to see more of? Any interesting opinions at all are welcome….I'll even take "uninteresting" opinions….lol. Read and Review guys! And now on with the show…..**

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Previously…..

_The smug smile on Thomas's face is almost too disgusting to look at as he strolls over to Karen and her position against the wall. Dean can do nothing but glare as Thomas reaches up a hand to push the hair away from Karen's face. _

"_Hmmm, such a waste. We could have had lots of fun together" he croons. _

_A smile tugs at the corner of Dean's lips around the gag, as Karen spits in Thomas's face. But the look of fury that slips across Thomas's face afterwards is enough to wipe it away again. Thomas backs away from her with a short "Pity" and turns to pick up her fallen weapon. _

"_So this is one of the guns that has everyone in a tizzy. The gun that kills demons. Very nice." He turns towards Karen, meets her eyes and asks, "Think it will kill a Winchester?" before turning slowly and bringing the gun up to point straight at Dean's head. Dean's eyes slide closed and he takes a deep breath before he hears the shot. _

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Chapter 8-Deliverance part 2

As soon as the demon holding his brother moved around the pillar out of his sight, Sam breathed a sigh of relief that their plan wasn't completely shot to hell yet. He quietly pushed the door the rest of the way open and crept silently into the room. He hid behind the pillar, in the same place his brother had been in moments before. He listened as the demon made his demands and cringed as the seconds ticked by as Karen debated her options. He took a chance and peeked around the corner just in time to see Karen shoot the demon holding the knife to Dean's throat and swing back towards the demon in charge. But she wasn't fast enough and her shot flew wide as he sent her flying back and impacting with the wall behind her. The demon moved away from the pillar then, too far for Sam to get to him with the knife. As soon as he saw the demon pick up the gun of the floor, he knew he had to act. Panic flew through him as the demon aimed the gun at his brother and before he knew it he was slamming his weight into the demon and using one arm to wrench the gun's aim away from his brother just as the gun went off.

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Dean heard the bullet whiz by just inches from his head and his eyes flew open to see his brother struggling with Thomas. Even though he is barely remaining conscious, he tries to get to his feet to help his brother. But his legs won't even support his weight anymore and his vision darkens in and out and all he can do is collapse back to the floor. He feels himself falling and then he's lying on his side on the floor. Darkness is rolling in from the edges and then he's down for the count.

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This demon was strong and it took everything in Sam to fend him off. Thankfully his initial contact with the demon had caused it to drop the gun and at the current moment he didn't have to worry about being shot. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his brother trying to struggle to gain his feet and then collapse back to the floor and pass out. This momentary lapse is just what the demon needed and he lands a solid hit to Sam's temple that has him seeing stars. The hit spins him around and knocks him to his knees. Thomas moves towards him, certain he's won the upper hand now. Sam grips the knife tight and as soon as he feels the hand grip his shirt he spins on his knee and rams the knife home. Up under the ribs and straight into the heart of the demon.

"Nobody fucks with my brother," Sam sneers, his face just inches from the demon's.

Sam has time to smirk at the surprised look on the demon's face before a flash of light blinks out the demon's existence. With the demon's death, Karen is released from the wall and she sprints over to where Dean is lying unconscious on the floor. Sam yanks his knife loose from the demon and lets the body fall to the floor, before rushing to his brother's side. He pulls the backpack from his shoulders and grabs out one of the small towels he had shoved in there not knowing what shape his brother would be in when he found him. He presses the towel firmly to the wound in his brother's side, desperately trying to stop the bleeding, while searching his brother for any other serious injuries.

Karen's trembling fingers are undoing his brother's gag, slipping it from his mouth before moving down to undo his hands. She pauses, her mouth open in shock before she shakes her head quickly, bringing herself back to the task at hand.

"Sam, I need the wire-cutters from your utility knife. The bastards wired his damn hands together."

Sam processes the words as he leans over to look at where his brother's hands are secured behind his back. He can't help the small gasp of shock as he catches a glimpse of the silvery wire underneath all the blood. The wire is dug into the skin of Dean's wrists in places and blood is still dripping from the tips of his fingers. Sam curses the demons quietly under his breath as he digs his utility knife out of the backpack and hands it over to Karen. He watches as she very gingerly snips the wire in several places and Dean lets out a moan as she starts to unwind it from around his hands. Sam quickly shifts his eyes to his brother's face and sees twin slits of green looking groggily into his face.

"S'mmy?"

Sam can't help but let out a small relieved laugh as he replies, "yeah Dean, it's me. I'm here. I've got you big brother."

"T'k you long 'nuff" Dean replied as his eyes slid closed again.

"Dean! Dean, I need you to stay with me here. Open your eyes." Sam removed one of his hands from the pressure he was keeping on his brother's side to bring it up to Dean's face and gently slap his cheek a couple of times. Sam sees that Dean is struggling to pull his eyes open again and knows that they have to get him out of there quickly. He's lost too much blood already and it won't be long before his body goes into hypovolemic shock. Taking his hand from Dean's face, he shoves the backpack towards Karen.

"Take this and pack up the rest of Dean's stuff from over there. " He nods with his head, indicating Dean's shirt, boots and weapons piled in the corner. Karen complies without argument and Sam returns his gaze back to his brother's face to see that his eyes are slipping closed again.

"Dean…..Dean, look at me." After his brother's glassy eyes meet his own, Sam continues, "Can you walk?"

Dean weakly shakes his head, hoping to communicate to his brother that there is no way he is getting out of this building under his own power.

"I need you to try, Dean. Come on buddy, I'll help ya."

Sam slips his free arm around behind his brother's shoulders and pulls him into a half sitting position. He then pulls his brother's right arm over his shoulders and wraps his other arm around Dean's waist for the dual purpose of supporting his brother's weight and to keep pressure on the towel he is holding to Dean's still-bleeding side.

Karen has finished packing Dean's stuff and slings the backpack over her shoulders. She then comes over and lifts Dean's other arm over her shoulders and after a count of three, she and Sam haul Dean to his feet. Karen takes one look at Dean's face as the color completely leeches from his complexion and his head lolls forward. The blood loss has drained him and it takes too much energy for him to even hold his head up. Concern washes over her features.

"We have to get him out of here. He's fading fast." She speaks quickly and softly to Sam.

Sam gives her a quick nod and they head for the back door. Karen stoops down quickly to pick up her pistol, which Thomas had dropped on the floor. Sam can see that she is keeping a firm grasp on it, knowing they aren't completely out of the woods yet. They are both constantly scanning their surroundings, alert for any stragglers. Just as they are feet from the back door and the Impala beyond that, a demon rushes out from behind a stack of abandoned crates and tackles Sam to the ground. Without Sam to help support the majority of Dean's weight, both Dean and Karen go crashing to the ground as well. Dean lets out a small cry of pain as his already abused body slams into the ground.

After being tackled, Sam rolled quickly back to his feet and pulled out the demon knife from his waistband. Unfortunately, the demon was also similarly armed with a knife and it took several quick moves to avoid being impaled or slashed as the demon kept coming. Sam countered with a few quick moves of his own but after a swing and a miss, the demon was able to slice a deep cut into Sam's upper arm. A short cry of pain escaped his lips before he grit his teeth together and reflexively clamped his right hand over the cut. He was just pulling himself together when thankfully, Karen was able to pull her arm out from where it was trapped under Dean and with a quick bullet from her gun, the demon dropped.

The cut was deep and it stung but he didn't have time to worry about himself now. He had to get Dean out of there and get him help fast. Then there would be time to worry about himself. Sam moves back to where Dean is lying face down on the ground and a quick assessment tells him that his brother is now unconscious. Sam and Karen are now reduced to having to just drag Dean the last 10 feet to the door and out to the waiting Impala. Sam is able to lay Dean partway in the backseat and then runs around to the other side to climb in and pull his brother in the rest of the way. As Karen climbs into the front seat, Sam again places both hands over his brother's side and applies a firm pressure to the wound. Dean lets out a groan of pain at the pressure and tries to squirm away but Sam doesn't let up.

"Get us back to the cabin." Sam orders as Karen fires up the Impala.

"What?! Sam, no! He needs to go to a hospital! He's lost too much blood already!"

"We can't take him to the hospital! How are we going to explain his condition away? Plus…there are still demons out there looking for us and we have to get someplace safe and warded. We will be completely exposed and unprotected at a hospital."

Sam has a point and Karen knows it. She takes off quickly back out of town and heads directly back to Blue River and the direction of the cabin.

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Sam hauled his unconscious brother inside the cabin and laid him down on the couch. He hears the Impala roar off quickly. Karen was making a run to the nearest blood bank seeing as Dean was in desperate need of a transfusion to replace all the blood he had lost. Dean was lying there so still and he was so pale. Sam grabbed the first aid kit and a bowl of warm water and set about fixing up his brother. He knew he had to begin with the most serious injury first….the stab wound to his left side. Sam cringes slightly as he peels away the blood soaked shirt and examines the open wound.

The bleeding has slowed significantly whether from blood clotting or because Dean was simply running out of blood volume. Either way, it doesn't seem to have hit any major arteries or caused any internal damage. Sam knows he has to make sure though before he sews up the hole. Sam cringes and then sticks his finger in the hole, feeling around for the tell tales signs of serious internal damage. Dean's eyes fly open and his back arches away from the intruding pain in his side. Sam does all he can to hold his brother still with the hand that isn't currently poking around inside his brother's side, as Dean releases cries of pain and tries to push away the hand causing him agony. Finally, Sam withdraws his hands, not finding any evidence of internal bleeding. He then quickly focuses on getting his panicked brother to calm down before he can even think of getting back to patching his brother up. After Sam removes his finger, Dean slumps back against the couch pillows. He is deathly pale and shaking hard and struggling to catch his breath. Sam grasps his face in both of his hands and turns Dean's head so that he is looking his brother in the eyes.

"Sam?" his brother asks in a groggy and weak voice.

"Yeah, Dean. It's okay. You're safe now. I'm trying to patch you up so I need you to lie still for me, okay?

"K, just don't…..poke me….anymore…..without…..any warning." Dean answers between pants of breath. Then Dean flashes him the smallest of smirks, closes his eyes and then leans his head back into the pillows.

Sam pulls out some pain pills and a bottle of water and shakes his brother just slightly.

"Here, take these. They'll help." He is leery of giving his brother the meds due to the fact that he is suffering from severe blood loss but Karen will be back soon with the blood and this patch up is going to be anything but comfortable for his brother. After swallowing the pills and half the bottle of water, Dean leans back once more and promptly passes out again.

Sam sews up the stab wound to his brother's side and then moves on to the next most serious injuries. Dean's wrists. Sam had bandaged them quickly and tightly in the short car ride to stop the bleeding but they needed to be cleaned as well as stitched in some places. Sam unwinds the makeshift bandage he used from Dean's right wrist and tears threaten to prick at his eyes at the sight of the damaged hand. The blood is still trickling out and there are deep gouges in the skin, almost down to the bone from where his brother must have pulled against his restraints. Wire…..they had used wire. His brother's wrists looked mangled because those bastards used wire to make sure his brother would not be able to break or wiggle out of his bonds.

He finished cleaning and stitching the right before moving on and doing the same to the left. After he finished with a few quick stitches to the smaller cuts to his brother's forehead and cheek, he began to examine his brother for other injuries. His brother had bruises everywhere….his face, shoulders, chest, abdomen and even his ankles from being restrained to the chair. Sam felt a pain deep in his heart. What in the world had they done to him?

Dean woke up again when Sam found his broken, cracked and bruised ribs and tried to shove the offending hands away from where they were poking around on his chest. The pain was enough to pull him out of the comfortable bliss of the drugs.

"Enough, Sammy. Just give it a rest will ya? I'm not a damn pin cushion."

"Dean, what in the world did they do to you?"

"Four of them jumped me in the alley. Wasn't exactly a fair fight. They were after Karen and the gun and stupidly thought I would give it to them."

"How did they find you in the first place?"

"Forgot my hex bag in my jacket back at the motel. That's how they tracked me to the bar."

Dean was sweating and his skin was cool and pale from the blood loss. All the color had drained from his face and lips leaving them nearly white. He needed the transfusion quickly! Just as Sam was thinking that maybe he should hook up a direct line between himself and Dean, he heard the Impala pull back up in front of the cabin. Karen burst in the door with a cooler and several bags of equipment. It only took her a few minutes and she had everything set up. Dean could feel himself slipping under again and he barely felt the prick of the IV needle before darkness claimed him again.

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A/N: No crazy cliffhanger this time. Thought I would give all your nerves a rest. I just finished watching the season 8 finale of Supernatural and I won't give away any spoilers but WOW! Very intense! I am gonna go nuts waiting for the next season! Thank goodness for a confirmed season 9! And good thing I have the other seven seasons and season 8 reruns to watch so I can still get my fix! What did you guys think of the finale for those of you who have seen it already?


	9. Chapter 9-The Next Step

**A/N: Sorry that it took me this long to get the next chapter written and posted guys! I sort of lost my muse for a little bit there and was having trouble figuring out how I was going to work things out in this chapter. Not to mention I probably got a little caught up reading a bunch of other people's fanfiction and I didn't realize so much time had gone past since I last posted. I apologize profusely! But I will make this promise….I will always try my damndest to never leave a story unfinished. And in the future I think I will try to have my stories completely finished before I start posting them so as to avoid these long gaps in posting when I get busy like I do. So without further ado….here is the next chapter. **

Chapter 9-The Next Step

Sam stood back from the couch as he watched Karen slide the IV needles into the crooks of both of Dean's elbows. She attached the bags of blood and then laid them both above Dean on the back of the couch and watched to make sure the transfusion was flowing smoothly. Once the first bag was empty she hooked up another one in its place. Sam kneeled next to Dean to check his vitals. Dean finally was beginning to get some color back and it seemed like his breathing was returning to normal along with his heart rate. Karen was sitting next to him on the floor when she noticed the blood soaked sleeve of his shirt and the gash visible through the tear in his shirt.

"You're bleeding!" she exclaimed.

Sam snaps out of his daze of watching his brother and remembers the cut to his upper arm from the confrontation with the demon as they were hauling Dean from the building.

"It's just a cut. It's fine" he answers, reluctant to move from his position next to Dean even for a few minutes. Unfortunately, Karen chose that moment to grab his arm to try to examine the wound and he was unable to stifle a surprised yelp.

"That's going to need stitches, Sam."

"It'll be fine. Just leave it alone." He is hesitant to let her take care of it because Dean is always the one who patches him up and now said brother is lying unconscious on the couch in front of him. Karen doesn't release his arm though and he turned to see her eyes boring into him.

"Dean would kill me if I let you sit here bleeding. You won't be able to help him if you pass out right alongside him. Come on, it will only take a couple minutes. I'll be quick."

Finally giving in to her persistence, he reluctantly hauled himself off the floor and over to one of the chairs by the table that she had pulled out for him, fighting off a tiny bit of light-headedness as he walked.

Karen had grabbed the kit up off the floor from where he had used it to patch up Dean and set it on the table, picking up the suture needle he had used and dropping it into a small bowl of alcohol while she dug some more thread out of the kit. She gently eased his blood-soaked sleeve up and over his injury to get at the gash. It was about 2 inches long across the body of his deltoid muscle but it felt deep and he winced as she poked at the edges of it.

"I'd say 5 or 6 stitches and you'll be good to go" she stated, threading the needle.

Sam gritted his teeth as she began to sew and fixed his gaze on his brother lying still on the couch. He kept his eyes on his brother to distract himself from Karen's stitches even though she was trying to be extremely gentle.

"There, all done" Karen stated before smearing a glob of Neosporin over the stitches before taping a small piece of gauze over it.

Sam quietly thanked her and then moved back to his spot on the floor next to his brother on the couch. And that's where he fell asleep an hour later while Karen watched these two boys who had, out of nowhere, become very important to her.

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Dean slowly dragged himself back towards consciousness as he started to feel the fog in his head begin to lift. He attempted to shift himself on the couch before pain flared up full force and reminded him why that was a bad idea. He was unable to stifle the small groan he felt when he became aware of an ache that encompassed his entire body. His limbs felt heavy and he was having significant difficulty getting his eyelids to cooperate.

"Dean?"

At the sound of his little brother's worried voice he was finally able to pry his eyelids open and had to blink a few times before his brother's face and floppy hair came into focus.

"Hey Sammy" he managed to rasp out, the words feeling painful as they worked their way out past his dry throat, mouth and lips.

"Nice to see you awake, Sleeping Beauty" his brother smirked at him.

"Water?" croaked Dean.

At that request, Sam jumped up from the floor and grabbed a glass from the cupboard to fill it with cool, clear water from the tap before returning quickly to his brother and helping him to raise his head and shoulders up off the couch.

"How are you feeling?" a worried frown replacing his relieved smile when Dean took a few sips from the glass before closing his eyes and lying back on the pillows looking exhausted.

"Like I was hit by a train. How long have I been out?"

"About 10 hours. You lost a lot of blood."

Dean opened his eyes again to see the look that he knew was on his brother's face. It was the same look he wore each and every time that he managed to let himself get hurt. Sam had been scared that he wasn't going to make it. He managed to gather up enough strength to lift his hand and lay it on his brother's arm.

"I'm going to be okay, Sammy. I'm always okay." It was then that Dean noticed the red soaking his brother's T-shirt sleeve and his mind immediately jumped into protective mode.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Dean asked quickly lifting his hand to point at Sam's shoulder and trying to sit himself farther up.

Sam attention quickly shifted and he cursed himself for not changing out of his bloody shirt from the night before, before Dean had a chance to see it. He placed a hand on his brother's chest and gently pushed him back to lie flat on the couch again.

"It's okay Dean. Just a little cut. Karen patched me up already, don't worry."

Dean's moment of panic passed quickly and he allowed himself to be pushed back down. Not that he could have put up much of a fight anyway seeing as how his ribs were insistently reminding him of their damage.

"Good thing she's looking out for you. I've seen how you get." His eyes roamed the room and seeing no sign of the brunette, "speaking of which, where is the heroine of the day?"

"She's grabbing a quick nap. She was up most of the night with us and she looked about ready to crash."

Dean allowed his eyes to slip closed again and could feel sleep tugging at the edges of his mind again before his brother spoke up once more and he opened his eyes to focus his brother once more.

"It was her idea….coming in to get you. I wouldn't have been able to do it without her."

"Well, she's not bad, for a girl."

Karen came walking in at that moment, catching the last part of Sam's statement and Dean's response.

"I'm sure you would have done just fine without me, Sam. Dean...nice to see you awake. How you doing?"

"I'm still alive" he answered, managing a small smile as he fought to keep his eyes open.

"Sam, I think it's time you grabbed a quick shower and changed out of those clothes. You're starting to gross me out" she joked before gently shoving him.

Sam reluctantly got to his feet and after flashing one more look at his brother, walked to the bathroom at the back of the cabin and closed the door.

Dean could feel his eyelids getting heavier and heavier and just before they slipped closed he spoke quietly to Karen.

"Thanks for taking care of Sammy."

Karen lifted her hand and carded it gently through his hair before giving him a gentle kiss on the lips.

"No problem. Go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

And with that, Dean allowed sleep to take him and he fell into a dreamless, healing sleep.

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It was definitely a significant time later when Dean next woke up. He had that dry and gummy feeling in his mouth indicating that he had slept at least a few more hours. When he opened his eyes and looked about what he could see of the cabin, he could tell that it was dark out again. Okay, maybe it had been more than a few hours. He shifted his body on the couch and though the pain was all still there, it was significantly duller then the first time he woke up. And though his limbs felt heavy, he was still feeling a heck of a lot better then what he was a day ago. Slowly, he rolled himself onto his side and caught a glimpse of his brother, asleep in the arm chair across the room. Karen was sitting at the table, behind her computer and she looked up when he started to move. After flicking a glance over at Sam, she stood up from the table and walked over to couch to help him sit up.

Dean closed his eyes as the dizziness washed over him from the change of position after lying down for so long. When he opened them, Karen was looking at him with concern.

"I'm okay, just gotta get used to sitting again" he whispered flashing her a small smile.

"You sure?" she whispered back.

"Yeah, I could use a bathroom break though. Mind giving me a hand?"

She flashed him a brilliant smile back before reaching across his body to his right arm and pulling it towards her. Dean hadn't even noticed the IV needle still in the crook of his arm and he was happy to notice that it was just saline and no longer blood that he needed. She slowly eased the needle from his arm and stopped the small flow of blood with a cotton ball. Dean slowly pushed himself to his feet and Karen steadied him with one hand on his elbow and the other on the small of his back. His legs were still wobbly but he still kept his feet. He could feel the stitches pull in his side and the ache in his ribs that had yet to be wrapped, with every step that they took. Once they reached the door to the bathroom, Dean waved Karen off back to the table.

"I've got it from here. I'll holler if I need anything."

She slowly made her way back to the table, flashing him a wary glance just once over her shoulder before he closed the door. After he had finished his business, he slowly made his way over to where she was sitting at the table and lowered himself into the chair next to him. After flashing another glance at where Sam was still out cold in the chair, Dean turned to what Karen had been searching on her computer.

"So what have you got?"

"I found the graveyard. It took a lot of searching but I finally nailed down the coordinates."

"Great! How far away are we?"

"It's going to be a good day's drive. I don't know though, Dean. The full moon is in 2 days and it's out in the middle of nowhere. There's no way you would be able to handle the drive and the hike it would take to get there."

"Don't you worry. I know what I can or can't handle. We can't afford to wait. This is our last chance before the eclipse. I don't know about you but I don't want to wait around for another 75 years to get this chance again. All of this is much bigger and more important than just me."

"I don't know, I think you are pretty important too" states Karen as she flashes him a small affectionate look.

Dean leans over to kiss her soft lips, ignoring the pain screeching in his side. He holds the kiss for a few moments until a particularly vicious flare of pain has him gasping in pain against her lips and he's forced to lean back in his chair. Karen's hand is immediately on his shoulder, silently asking if he's okay. She notices him holding his arm tightly around his ribs and moves to grab the few rolls of ACE wrap she had set out for wrapping his ribs.

"Here…..let me wrap those. You'll be more comfortable."

Dean leans forward and reluctantly allows Karen to help him ease his arms up onto the table so that she can wind the wrap tightly all the way around his ribs. In just a few short minutes she's all finished and Dean feels just slightly more stable and the tightness of the wrap helps ease the sharp pains when he moves down to a dull throb.

"I'm going back to sleep for a few hours. You better get some rest too. We're heading out at first light."

His tone brooks no argument and Karen figures that she might as well grab some shut-eye. The wards and protection spells are all intact and she's going to need her energy for the fight she knows is going to happen between Sam and Dean in the morning.

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**AN: Okay, not a lot happened in this chapter but I was desperate to at least post something to keep the story going. I'm working on the next chapter right now and so far it contains much more action. On to the Graveyard!**


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